Western Union Makes Payment Agreement with Skype

You can now pay for Skype calls with Western Union.

On Wednesday (April 8), the global money transfer company announced an agreement that allows for Skype customers to replenish their accounts at more than 50,000 Western Union Agent locations throughout the United States.

Skype Credit, the payment service that enables calls to mobile and landlines worldwide — as well as text messages to mobile — on the Microsoft-owned video, voice chat and messaging service, is now able to be topped up through the Western Union Quick Collect service, which facilitates consumer-to-business payments. While Skype-to-Skype calls are free, Skype Credit is required to call landline or mobile numbers.

Odilon Almeida, Western Union President for the Americas and European Union, said, “The relationship is a logical one, as both Western Union and Skype have a mission to connect people when they are apart. Western Union is optimizing its money transfer system to link cash and digital for money movement and payments across the globe. We are driving our innovation on the back of what our customers want. Skype is a classic example; where customers can enjoy full digital access with a walk-in payment option.”

As the press release from Western Union points out, the company already shares a customer-base overlap with some of Skype’s 300 million active users worldwide.

“Through Skype, Western Union customers can stay in touch with loved ones to let them know about money transfers and share everyday experiences,” said Enrico Noseda, Director of Business Development at Microsoft, according to the release. “Communicating through Skype helps keep families together, no matter their location.”

Western Union’s Skype partnership comes just a few weeks after it announced a new partnership with Hyperwallet, and a few months after Western Union announced it would accept Apple Pay at several flagship locations.